I would like to advise that after 33 years working full-time in the AFL industry, I have taken the opportunity to move to a part-time role with the AFL and became non-Executive Chair of AFL Queensland.
I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of current Chair, Darryl Bray, for his 20 years of service as Chair of AFL Queensland. Under Darryl’s leadership the game has gone from strength to strength with the AFL now being a mainstream sport in Queensland. Further recognition of Darryl’s significant contribution to our game will occur later this year.
I am pleased to advise that Trisha Squires has been appointed as Head of AFL Queensland. Trisha is currently the CEO of AFL Tasmania, and has an impressive breadth and depth of experience across commercial, philanthropic and community roles, including being the Founder of the Broadbridge Fund and former CEO of Reach and the St Kilda Youth Service. Trisha is known for her leadership qualities, clear strategic thinking, and resilience. In 2006, Trisha was awarded Young Australian of the Year and in 2018 she became the first female to be appointed as a State CEO in the AFL. Trisha has completed a Bachelor of Arts, Diploma of Youth Work, Masters in International Development and most recently completed an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School. In 2019 Trisha was awarded Tasmanian Telstra Business Woman of the Year (Medium & Large Business) and the AFL Jill Lindsay Scholarship.
This week, we are working through a number of other changes to our structure and workforce. As you can appreciate this is a challenging time for our staff in our industry, and appreciate your support and patience over the coming weeks as we continue to support our Leagues and Clubs as we complete the 2020 season.
Community football remains a critical priority of the AFL and AFL Queensland and we look forward to continuing to work with our community clubs to support and grow our great game.
NEAFL Statement
As was announced by the AFL yesterday, the NEAFL will be amalgamated with the VFL which leaves the following second-tier Leagues nationally – VFL, SANFL, WAFL, TSL and NTFL.
AFL clubs in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria will be able to either field a standalone team, align with an existing second-tier club or spread their AFL-listed players across multiple second-tier clubs.
AFL Queensland acknowledges that this decision will impact our AFL Clubs, NEAFL Clubs and potentially underpinning competitions, in particular the QAFL. There remains a significant amount of consultation with our AFL and NEAFL Clubs as they consider their position in the new amalgamated second-tier competition.
We will continue to keep all stakeholders updated over the coming weeks as we have a clearer picture on the Queensland State League structure for the 2021 season.
Kind regards
Dean Warren
